These are the 25 longest-running bandsinrock and metalhistory.
Thousands of bands have formed since rock ‘n’ became popularized in the 1960s, if not tens of thousands. But the reason we only still talk about so many of them today is because most of them didn’t last long enough to see true fame and success.
Sure, some groups were together for a relatively short period of time and still produced impactful discographies that sold millions of albums.Longevity doesn’t necessarily mean success. Groups such as Led Zeppelin and Nirvana probably would’ve had much longer careers if their time hadn’t been cut short due to a member dying.
There are others that went through similar situations and decided to carry on though. Take AC/DC for example: they were incredibly successful with Bon Scott and could’ve walked away after he died in 1980 but they chose to bring Brian Johnson in and continue on. Their comeback album with Johnson,Back in Black,is still one of the best-selling albums of all time and they’ve put out many more since then.
Not every band has endured such a tragedy, but most of them have had some sort of lineup change for other reasons. A few of them had… a few more members than others, but there are also a handful of groups that have the majority of their founding members left as well.
Needless to say, there are quite a few bands that have been together for several decades without ever breaking up. Lineup changes and retirements don’t count, so you may see a few bands below that “retired” from touring and then came back. We don’t count retiring from touring as an actual break up!
READ MORE:17 Rock + Metal Bands That Have Never Had a Lineup Change
Keep reading to see 25 of the oldest rock and metal bands that have never broken up.
First, 13 rock bands, followed by a dozen metal bands!
13 Rock Bands That Have Been Together 40+ Years and Never Broke Up
These bands have been together for at least four decades and have never formally broken up, even if they underwent lineup changes.
Gallery Credit: Lauryn Schaffner
The 12 Longest-Running Metal Bands That Never Broke Up
These are some of the longest-running metal bands that have never broken up or gone on hiatus in a way that made the group inactive.
Gallery Credit: Lauryn Schaffner
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See 10 of the biggest rock and metal bands that have had the most lineup changes in the gallery below.
The 10 Biggest Rock + Metal Bands With the Most Lineup Changes
These rock and metal bands have made changes to their lineups more than any other bands in history — see a summary of each of them.
Gallery Credit: Lauryn Schaffner
